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13NoH S2.N11: Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1956 W/ @evan.brandon and @travelingstrawberries
27 Plays6 months ago
Night 11 brings us to Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)! Join @travelingstrawberries and @evan.brandon as they dive into the paranoia-fueled sci-fi classic that keeps viewers questioning reality even decades later. Watch as they explore the film’s timeless themes of conformity, fear, and identity in Cold War America, and share their favorite scenes and insights. Don’t miss this discussion on one of the most influential sci-fi horror films of all time!
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Transcript
00:00:01
Speaker
The source demands I come back.
00:00:09
Speaker
forward
00:00:20
Speaker
We can't make it without sleep. Yes, we can.
Introduction to Night 11 & Film Overview
00:01:50
Speaker
This is Tim. This is Jonathan. And welcome to Night 11 of our 13 Nights of Halloween Marathon. Tonight, we're diving into the paranoia-filled classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers from 1956. We're thrilled to be joinedt so joined once again by Evan. Hello, hello.
00:02:16
Speaker
and strawberry for this discussion as we near the final stretch of our spooky season marathon. But before we do that, strawberry, I saw that you posted um some fun stuff on social media lately. What have you been up to?
Strawberry's Projects Discussion
00:02:29
Speaker
Yeah. OK, so the one I posted, um I had done a project a while ago with DBS in like December um that should I that I would assume is Probably coming out either the end of this year because I think there's a movie coming out before the one that I'm in.
00:02:53
Speaker
Um, but that, that one's called the haunting of the murder house, the Lockwood files. So you can keep an eye out for that. And they just, they just released a movie. It's a shadows of Bigfoot. They just released yeah that one. Yeah. And then, um, I've also been working, um,
00:03:15
Speaker
with a director here. um It's called Nazi werewolves from the moon.
50s Style & Thematic Elements
00:03:22
Speaker
And it is really cool. It's really campy and it's like a 50s. It takes place in the 50s in the future. So everything's like super 50s stylized, but like in the future. um So I've been doing that too. I've been doing a lot of lot of fun stuff.
00:03:41
Speaker
That sounds awesome. That sounds like a ton of fun. i want to Just based on that description, the 50s, in the future, all of that, i'm I'm here for all of that. That sounds awesome. yeah so That makes sense of the costumes that I saw in the pictures you're sharing. i was I was intrigued by it to say the least, so I figured I would ask you while you're on here.
00:04:02
Speaker
Yeah. So we are talking about a 50s sci-fi horror gem. This one is based on Jack Finney's novel, The Body Snatchers.
McCarthyism & Film's Eerie Atmosphere
00:04:14
Speaker
became a cultural cultural touchstone for its commentary on McCarthyism and communism in post-war American fears. However, both the writer and the director will tell you that that was not their intention. That was just how it became interpreted, which I find super fascinating. That's what I love about the horror genre. With a hauntingly eerie atmosphere and themes of losing one's identity,
00:04:41
Speaker
It has cemented itself as one of the most iconic films in the genre. It was originally a B-movie. It was low budget, meant to be a companion piece to another film. It was a double release. This, however, has ended up becoming one of the most talked about films of the 50s that inspired four remakes since its release.
00:05:08
Speaker
So before you hit play tonight, don't forget to head over to our Instagram for this episode's cocktail pairing. A little something to keep your nerves steady while we discuss pod people and paranoia.
Listener Engagement & Book Background
00:05:20
Speaker
We're also calling on you, our listeners, said to submit your own ratings and reviews of this film. Let us know your thoughts and we'll read some of your reviews in future episodes.
00:05:32
Speaker
So the story of this one, alright, at this point we have already discussed the 78 version of the film. So we're going into the original version of the film. This one, it's shortly after the books. The books came out early fifties and this was a quick turnaround, get it on screen. I believe the books were originally kind of serial serialized, published in back of magazines. If I'm remembering correctly, I did minimal research for it. I knew. How many books were there supposed to be?
00:06:11
Speaker
So I didn't even know like there was multiple books that it was based on. I think it's one book, but I thought it was released in multiple kind of how they used to do. um
00:06:24
Speaker
like serialized magazines would release one chapter in the back of a magazine at a time. yeah So that's, I read somewhere that that's how this was, but I'm also seeing that it it was released as, nope, there it is serialized in Collier's magazine in November to December of 1954. So it must've been just half and half and then publish in book form the following year. So it did not take long to get to screen no at all. So it was a big deal.
00:06:55
Speaker
It was a big deal, but comparing the two films, both films are on the block tonight. We can talk about how one movie changed things, what we liked better in certain films. So comparing the two, the bones are essentially the same for these movies. A lot of very similar scenes, like when I was watching stuff, I was like, wow, they they really kept like the same scene with like, um like Jeff Goldblum's character with the nose bleed. You know, like there was yeah there was a lot of that where I was like, that's really cool that they kept the same scenes like that. And the thing I noticed about that scene, I think that was the first time I tuned in to them really keeping some of those elements the same, which I immediately go, okay, if these exist in both versions, it exists in the book. I haven't read the book, but I'm saying that's one of the key points of the book. But I even appreciated how the 70s version
00:07:53
Speaker
In the 50s version, they're in Belichick's house.
Comparing Film Versions & Scenes
00:07:58
Speaker
And in the 70s version, they're in Belichick's bathhouse. So they even kept the character name for that element the same. It's Belichick is where that body, that first major revelation takes place. So I thought that was a really cool, like important pivot point in both movies that was done differently in both.
00:08:22
Speaker
but still really good in both. i did I'm not sure which one I like more. In this one, we're following a doctor. Yeah. And this one this one is much more fast-paced. It takes off. like Boom. like The 70s one is a little more slow-burn. This one, you're jumping right into it all.
00:08:45
Speaker
That is the thing I realized on my second watch. I was like, wow, we got to the body switch fast, where in the 70s one, it is almost 45 minutes to an hour into the film that we're getting there. Well, they also had little budget in comparison, you know, in the 70s version than they did in the 56 version, right?
00:09:09
Speaker
uh lower budget in the 70s sorry no lower budget in the 5060s oh yes higher budget up in scale yeah between times yeah um i'm trying to find where the budget was listed it was somewhere in the hundred
00:09:28
Speaker
The final budget was $382,000 for the film. And the ah the pod scene in this film, so we also have another pod scene in this one. i This is one that I do think the 78 did a better version of, but I thought this one is still really cool.
00:09:51
Speaker
Yeah, like the bubbling. like It's obviously like bubbles. like It was cool for the time. I think for the yeah for their time, it was really interesting. And that is... Sorry. I like how and like Miles couldn't kill Becky. like There was that same one. He went to... And I was like, oh! Yep. So there this hits a lot of the same key story moments. There's just minor changes really between the two different films. So I ultimately, I gave it a four again. I almost went higher. Actually, I think I'm going to go
00:10:32
Speaker
I'm going to go higher because I'm going to, this is the first iteration of it. This is made immediately after the book and this has really given credit to the book in this case. I am going to change my score to a five because if we take into account
Originality of Alien Invasion Depiction
00:10:49
Speaker
the time period. Actually, I did have it as a five. I spoke too soon. i this was like This was like the whole Buzz Lightyear taking out Cowboys time period in movies. This was the flying saucers in space. This was the silver leotard alien. you know
00:11:10
Speaker
that's when this movie was made and to make an alien invasion film that relied on none of that yeah is so original, so unique, it's still you can't do it again today without somebody saying you're copying this idea.
00:11:30
Speaker
yeah It is wholly original and i I said in our previous one, you know any alien film will be compared to this one for how it makes you feel.
00:11:44
Speaker
And you're going to have your The Day the Earth Stood Still is one of those great sci-fi classics. But in the same breath is a good one it in the same breath is this Invasion of the Body Snatchers. So for this one, because this is the first film version of it.
00:12:03
Speaker
And it's really scoring the book at this point. I had to give it a five. The whole organic body copying for your sci-fi horror story is incredibly unique and original. And I absolutely love the idea. So all the credit here on the story category for me.
00:12:25
Speaker
yet
00:12:27
Speaker
I think I I think I gave it a four two or I not to I gave it a four I think you're for yeah, yeah, I give it four. Um I you know the same for me like it's it's original it's so cool like I just I feel like you I there's nothing else to say you already said it like it's just reiterating yeah it's like yeah it's all those things like it's just it it's awesome and and a lot of the times too it's it's hard to watch
00:13:08
Speaker
Sometimes it's hard to watch movies from like the 50s and the 40s and
Character Development & Gender Roles
00:13:13
Speaker
things like that. like Sometimes it's just like like it feels like almost they're speaking a different language. yeah okay You're hitting on something because just yesterday, our episode from yesterday was the fly from the 50s. I felt a significant difference between the two films. I i was harsh on the fly, I admit it, but i do this one made me feel better about the things that I said because exactly what you're saying, I feel like they're totally different calibers.
00:13:43
Speaker
Yeah, it was the but it was easier to watch. Like some movies from the 50s, I just can't, I can't even, like I just can't hold my attention. I don't know what it is, but this one was easier for me to watch than most. So, four. All right. Johnathan, are you ready for this? Yeah, go, Evan. Oh, I'm sorry, Jonathan. You want to go ahead? No, go ahead, buddy. You're the guest? Come on in. Yup, go for it. Throw it down. um Okay, so I gave it a five.
00:14:13
Speaker
You know, to the point that this was so much of a movie, I don't ever take notes. I never, I've never ever taken a note for a movie, but just to kind of remember things, I was like, you know what? I'm gonna go go sit ahead and sit here and type on the damn laptop and see what the hell I can come up with. And I was like, looking at my notes, and I was like, shit. It's the same movie we just had yesterday. Yeah.
00:14:43
Speaker
what you guys would consider yesterday. I'm just going to head. It actually would have been six days ago, but that's okay. david wall six days oh that's yeah That's okay.
00:14:57
Speaker
But really, yeah, you know, for the time of it being of the 1950s and it just coming out two years after the book came out, I mean,
00:15:11
Speaker
What else can you say other than shit? What what what would it make you think in the 50s? Is your husband your husband? Is your wife your wife? You know, you got to smack her around a few times and say, are you her? Are you her? She got to slap you around a few times and say, are you him? So that ah you bring that up. And I think this is a good time to mention the actor from the film, ah the guy,
00:15:39
Speaker
I can't think of his name right now. um His name is... Captain McCarthy. Yeah. yeah yeah give them aroth Yeah. Kevin McCarthy took one of the paper mache pods from the set and dropped it off at Dana Winters house. So when he recounted the story in an interview, he like went in and hid it under the bed so she would find it at one point and freak out. She was later like, no, he just left it like he hid it on my porch. But either way, that is like It freaked her out, like it startled her because she's in this filming environment and it is one of those ideas that kind of gets into your head. So like you're saying, seeing as in the fifties, that I trust no one. Yeah. Fiction can become fact like, oh, no. oh Yeah. And watching this movie, I can imagine there was quite a quite a bit of a handful in a household.
00:16:35
Speaker
Jonathan. but yeah Like I said, out of all and all, I gave it a five as well. And it defined its own movie basis, I guess. People scratching up bodies. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it it is for the times and the way that sci-fi and horror were branching out in so many different ways with concepts. The fact that they bring up this one where it's this subtle takeover you know that you you don't really notice unless you're really, really looking at people really hard, unless you know people really well in the community, you know that this is more of a biological takeover.
00:17:15
Speaker
versus just invaders coming down and shooting, pewpe pew, pew, pew, fight for your life kind of thing that's mashed over. Yeah, that's a huge concept for the time. The Mars attacks. I've been thinking about that for minutes about Mars attacks as we've been talking about this. yeah or It's just like, oh my God, love that film. Yeah. Hey, there we go. That's a shout out to last year's 13 Nights of Halloween. Yeah.
00:17:40
Speaker
But I thought it was very engaging and the way they ran down the story with this being this small town versus like more of a metropolitan area, the way they let it out and like how it starts out somewhat really small and slowly builds before it really breaks out, you know? So I mean, as awesome as it is, I mean, I think, I think a four is very good for me. So I feel comfortable at that score. I'm not gonna give it that much hype, you know, but it was pretty rad for what they got for the time. I think four is good.
00:18:10
Speaker
All right, this this is where I'm going to need some help on this one. I'm going to let some of you, I'm going to prefer some of you go first. So so the character arcs in this film. o Me, me. Okay, Jonathan, you look eager. Go for it. Talk to us about the character arc. Character arc, I think, is pretty rocking in this film versus the remake.
00:18:31
Speaker
um okay One thing I gotta say, man, Kevin McCarthy, that dude rocks. He's had a lot of roles throughout the years. um And the fact that he, as I stated when when we did the the remake, he was the crazy guy that ran up on Donald Sutherland's car yeah in the 78 version. And I swear, I don't, I'm not gonna go back to rent rent it again to to watch to confirm, but I swear like one of his beginning lines in this film,
00:19:00
Speaker
as the main character where he's going crazy in tile and then what's going on before he does his flashback is like almost dead on the same line he had or he said when he jumped up on Donald Sutherland's car and was talking all that crazy mess. I swear it's almost the same thing and it's crazy how that kind of connects to that. but That's really cool.
00:19:21
Speaker
him going through this whole struggle and finally getting some vindication and people believing him after everything has been through, how hard he's fought, even with his early kind of considerations that became suspicion and then confirmed fact, this whole thing and how, you know, some of the other side characters who are in on it, who are already transferred over.
00:19:41
Speaker
you know, and how they've tried to dumb it down, try to catch him up is pretty rocking. And just the fact that he was finally able to get some kind of justification at the end that he's not insane and people believe him is like the hugest thing. And now they have this opportunity to to block it off, cut it down, cut it out root and stem. Whereas in the remake, everyone's screwed. there There is no coming back. There is, there's no, there's no way to fight back. You're you're you're done.
00:20:07
Speaker
This does have a happier, or at least more optimistic ending, for sure. Yeah. I mean, everyone fought hard through it with their, their buddy with ah Teddy and what was his neck? Jack Belichick. They're friends that came to stay at, at Miles's house, Dr. Benelli or Benell.
00:20:27
Speaker
um They all fought so hard through it until they finally get converted. And it's so sad, but you still place on your feelings from when you saw the 78 version, when their friends got kind of caught out, except Teddy. She, she, she ends up getting turned over this time versus where she lasts out till the end of the week. So, I mean, you don't get that kind of long lasting presence with her in the, in this, in this original, like you did in the remake, which kind of rough.
00:20:55
Speaker
but it is what it is, you know? And even with Dana White as as Becky, like still that similarity of her fighting as hard as she can, but then still having this kind of like image that women are still soft and faint and can't really tough it out like the men do kind of is rough.
00:21:12
Speaker
But her finally getting converted in the end like she did in the remake. The connection there is still pretty awesome. It would have loved her seeing her fight out a little more to the end. She's like dragging. She's like, I'm just too tired. It's like you're fighting for your life. You're fighting. You're going to take off the heels and fucking book it. This is 1956.
00:21:36
Speaker
It's like your adrenaline would be running through the roof. You wouldn't be like, I'm just too tired. Like that didn't go up like a thousand stairs. Yeah. Well, that is the 50s image of women back then is not as hardcore and tough as women are now today. Definitely. Yeah. But overall, with that with that arc, though, and how he finally had his justification at the end, though, I say five, bro. I'm like getting five, five. Wow. All right. Five on that arc.
00:22:05
Speaker
Okay. Evan or Strawberry, who has more thoughts on that? Um, I feel bad because I gave it a two. Cause I didn't, I wasn't really thinking about it. And I was like, Oh, they just like, it was just the same kind of, uh, like, I don't know. I didn't think of anybody really sticking out as changing but but now that you bring that up I'm like oh yeah that's right like I just didn't think about it yes that was a pretty big and and and and it goes full circle right because in the beginning
00:22:42
Speaker
It hits him right in the beginning. Am I yeah right? Yeah, which he comes in thinking he's he's like, tell me I'm not crazy. Basically, I want to tell you the story. I think I might be losing my mind. And then at the end is like, oh, I'm not. I'm not. So yes, I was the same as you. I was a three. I was like, I don't really. Yeah, I couldn't think of anything. But yeah, that was a good point.
00:23:07
Speaker
So, Jonathan, you persuaded me I'm going to bring it up to a four. I am going to change mine to a four because I was pretty harsh, but that's why I needed someone else to go first. Those those converted jerks, man, they just assume like, oh, well, they're just think he's crazy. Nothing's going to happen. And boom, justification, bitch, in your face. It's on that shit. Now the government's on it and they're going to be like, oh, no, we're not letting this happen, bro. We're about to trim all these bushes up in here.
00:23:35
Speaker
I do. Though a scene that I love that's kind of... It's so subtle, but it's one of those moments where I think it really sinks in for our main character is early on when he sees that kid who, that's not my mom throwing a fit, whatever. And then later when he sees him sitting in the office with his mom and is like, can we go home now? And it's just, it's so subtle.
00:24:06
Speaker
I was going to bring up. There was no kids. If you watch the 70s version and you watch the 50s version, there are no kids in the 70s ones. This one had babies. They're like drug the baby, drug little Jimmy, like they're like drugging all the kids. They had like, and in the 70s one, I didn't see one child. Oh, I thought it was something in the beginning, but now that she's got babies, they weren't any. I don't think so.
00:24:31
Speaker
I had the same thought as you. I have in my notes, I said, even the kids in the 50s didn't want to go to school, whoever it is.
00:24:39
Speaker
But I also love, that leads into that small town setting that Jonathan was talking about with the story, was this doctor knew just about all of them. you know He's worked with just about everybody in this small town, so he knows this kid differently than in the 70s one, where most of these people are strangers.
00:25:01
Speaker
So there is that level of understanding that a small town would have. So I like that a lot.
00:25:12
Speaker
Evan, what were your thoughts on character? I know I said that right. Okay, so on your character department, I put it as a
Romantic Elements & Chemistry
00:25:20
Speaker
three as well. You know,
00:25:28
Speaker
Beno has done everything that he did. Um, loved him. But at times, like right in the beginning, it was like, man, this guy seems like a fucking chode. That's what I thought. I was like, dude, this guy just seems full of himself. He did. In the fifties. So I'm bigger and better. Don't get involved with married women. And progress and then in this one, he, he just snatched that lady up and gave her a kiss. And I was like, huh?
00:25:59
Speaker
form a flame reconnect The kissing in this movie was much better than it was in the 70s. Come on, man. I was pretty brisk. There was some play, but yeah, within like a, within like the same day of seeing each other. Yeah, they're pretty much smooching. I would just, that is brisk. That is very brisk. Very bold. You're just going out and making out. He didn't, you don't do that in that time. He did not hide his intentions whatsoever though, from the second. But they have a history though, but they have history. He did. So that was, I was watching it with my wife and she was like, isn't she married? Like she,
00:26:45
Speaker
She took the line where she was going home to her father and he asked like, do you ah is your dad home tonight? And she said, no, he's out with friends or something. She took that as her husband. And so my wife was like,
00:27:04
Speaker
what is going on here in a 50s movie and they're not even being subtle about it. And I was like, no, no, she it says early on, she just came out of a divorce. That's where she was. yeah And so she just came back and his wife died.
00:27:20
Speaker
<unk>t have to get work out wife yes oh she died Oh, she died. Okay. I thought they just didn't work out because they were talking like he was in Reno and then she had been Reno and Reno at one point just like not at the same time. but yeah Things didn't work out in Reno, he said. okay So I don't know if she did. die I missed it. I just thought yeah i didn't think she died.
00:27:38
Speaker
I don't know. That was a double divorce situation between the two of them. Evan's totally right though. They show up, see each other again and that flame is but but back on. It's strong. Yeah, like when they're going to like the restaurant. there's
00:27:55
Speaker
um sorry yeah and go ahead no chris chris yeah when we also they're going to the restaurant like right before they like walk in they're just like oh yeah come on like making out I'm like wow um like yeah for a 50s movie I was like oh whoa and they're not even like dating or married like they're uh-huh and that was a nice kiss like the 70s kiss we were like they were progressive adults at the
00:28:32
Speaker
The 50s one, I was like, that's really nice. I like this. This one, it's worth mentioning that this one leaned into the romance way more. There's no romance in the 78. No romance in the 78. And so this one, you definitely have that from the moment they lay eyes on each other again. It's like, hey, baby, where you been? And then they take off. It doesn't slow down. I do have to ask that real quick.
00:29:02
Speaker
Does Kevin seem like he's got dentures in? Not that I don't. I don't really think about his teeth. I didn't notice that. Is that a make out session? That cute little kiss? Was it getting toothy? I wasn't. Did you see him coming back in the place? Toothy. You know what? It went toothy like a Jaws thing, but I don't know. She tried to kiss him. Let him know, you baby. I gotta like Google this picture, huh?
00:29:36
Speaker
I don't remember that. and turn around He's got a prominent smile when he's really expressive. Like he's got chompers for sure. Yeah, he sure does. Yeah. But I'm just saying he's got more tooth than lip to gum ratio. He's wrong in the tooth. You're killing me. He definitely clicks teeth on a couple of those cases. Oh, yeah. like well look at Look at him like old, like in this picture, like,
00:30:03
Speaker
Well, those are definitely dentures. Oh yeah. Yeah,
00:30:10
Speaker
yeah
00:30:13
Speaker
yeah I didn't notice his teeth. No, I've got it in my notes apparently that it was enough for me to say something. His teeth really made an impression on you. that They did. yeah yeah The oh, I see it. I see it if you find because most of the pictures his mouth is closed, but like in this one. Oh, yeah. and Teeth. Yeah, like Steve Hart. Okay. I see it. Okay.
Music, Sound Design & Character Tension
00:30:40
Speaker
Yeah. Yep. I see what you're talking about. I get it. i get the milk and He ain't got the gum. So he's just got the teeth.
00:30:48
Speaker
Evan, did you give your score? I did, it was a three. Three, all right. So we were- I was topping out on this one versus you guys. You were. That's okay. I was a four, five, three, and strawberry, I had you at a three. Did you up yours or? For the character arcs, I think I, it was a, I think I did a two, did I have a two? That's what you thought said. I thought you said two. Yeah, right, I think we'll up it. I'm gonna up it to a four.
00:31:18
Speaker
Oh, wow. Jumping two points. Okay. All right. So the music and sound design then. So this is one where I have a soft spot. I have a soft spot for some of the older movies because I just think the music is beautiful in a lot of them. Oh yeah. That older orchestration man. Yes. There's just a little different level of care in it.
00:31:46
Speaker
However, I didn't think this one was terribly unique. I thought this sounded a lot like a lot of other movies from that time period. And that doesn't mean it's bad. It just means it's not super memorable. And I'm going to go back to we talked a couple of nights ago about the House of Wax with Vincent Price from the 50s.
00:32:06
Speaker
And that is like, currently, the music in that one is the example of fantastic music in a fifties film. It was so good. This is good. And keeping in mind the budget for the time period, yeah it's it's good music. Nothing really stood out to me. And same with the sound design. It sounds like a fifties movie, you know? Sounds like a fifties movie. We don't really get One of the things I noticed and I loved was when he gets off the train at the beginning and gets in the car, you see the wind blowing the trees in the background real hard. And I'm like, yeah, they filmed this outside. I love it. I love it. But we don't hear any of that. No nature sound really. You just hear dialogue. Yeah. I really didn't know that Wiz Khalifa was part of the 1936 Padescu.
00:33:05
Speaker
Wait, what? Because they're blowing trees in the background? as a Blowing trees. Yeah. But i that's one of the things I noticed that I do appreciate in later movies when we got those ambient world sounds that is missing in a lot of older films. So it's not, you can't really dock it for things like that. I gave it a three. It's good music, good sound design, but nothing super memorable. We don't get the screech in this that's iconic. i The opening theme is good, but it's not,
00:33:44
Speaker
You know, I'm not like, oh, yeah, that's the 56 invasion of the body snatchers theme. It's not going to do that for me. So I was a three on sound design. I gave it a two. Nothing really just stuck out at me. But I mean, it wasn't worse either. But like you said, it's ah about the normal 50 sounds that you get in any 50s movie. So nothing really is not psycho.
00:34:14
Speaker
Yeah. What is? What is Bernard her Herman? ah Don't get me started. i say like So the musician who did all of it. Damn it, computer. Come on. So the music director of this was Carmen Dragon. Carmen Dragon.
00:34:36
Speaker
yeah you get it's offer to your movies You know just a few of that I've seen in front of me is a one of them was a Kiss tomorrow. Goodbye Night in the morning and at gunpoint all in the 50s, but from what I've understood they're kind of About the same yeah um So, you know, as it is, the director of the musician, he's a 10. Cameron Dragon. Shit. Yeah. Carmen Dragon, sorry. Carmen Dragon, that's quite the name. I'm glad you brought it up, because if you didn't, I was going to, because that's a badass name. Yeah. That's a bad name. That's a bad name, too. That's a bad name, too. That's a bad name, too. That's a bad name, too. That's a bad name, too. I don't give a shit really what he's done after that. So I give it to you.
00:35:31
Speaker
Okay. It's no ogre, but that still badass name. Yeah. Yeah.
00:35:39
Speaker
i think I think this is the one actually that I gave it to. Yes, you did. yeah Yeah, because again, nothing memorable. nothing I can't even think about... i like In my head, I hear music, but I don't know. I think it's like the 70s one that I'm hearing and not the 50s one. like i don't I can't think of anything. Again, there's no screeching. The only thing I can think about is that that like classic man 50s voice. like ah like like That's about it. It's just nothing memorable.
00:36:13
Speaker
and Oh, Jack. yeah I always think classic 50s. It's not my father, I swear. oh jack I can see that you love me. You're going to love me tonight. Yeah.
00:36:27
Speaker
The music was good. There's nothing really too crazy about it. Nothing was too over the top. Nothing was really distracting. It all just kind of blended. um And despite not having a lot of those background sounds that you would want to hear normally, like you know especially being outdoors and things like that, you don't really even hear the uncle, like his little manual mower. You don't even really get the sounds that you would normally get from that.
00:36:54
Speaker
yeah know and I was a little lacking, I was a little sad about that. like you know You think you would hear that that turning of the wheel and the clipping going on with those rotary blades as he's is walking along, but you don't get none of that. So it's a little miss on that. But otherwise, um I appreciated the heightened moments of the music where they had like those those subtle stress strings. you I enjoyed that and I thought that played well to heighten the mood in certain scenes where things are getting really tense.
00:37:21
Speaker
um especially between like when they're at the Billie Chex house and looking at the the not fully formed body kind of like how they were in you know in the remake at the bathhouse you know that whole debate about what's going on with it and then you know turn around trying to get dude into the mine and hiding and then the music that kind of heightened to that situation I thought was pretty cool so not too over the top nothing too fantastic but I feel like three is a really good place to be on this one Strawberry, you look like you had something to say. Oh, I got something to say. Okay. When they come in and they're and it's just like, oh, look at this body. And they're just like oh that's i like, oh yeah, this is really weird. Like everybody's just kind of like so nonchalant, like very calm. And they're like, oh, let's check to see if there's fingerprints. And they're like, he doesn't have any fingerprints. This is really weird. Like it was like, dude, there's a fucking dead body. Like nobody was like,
00:38:20
Speaker
like Nobody was, i don't know I feel like they weren't scared enough, especially for it like not having features and no fingerprints and like being like extra creepy. I feel like they weren't scared enough for me. like that that was ah That was something I was like laughing. I just kept laughing. I was like, this is so ridiculous. like Evan.
00:38:46
Speaker
Strawberry the fact that you brought that up also brought me up to the Like what they were talking outside of the front door before they walked in and saw the dead body was Would you be able to forget you're a doctor? And he says quit acting like a writer what's going on well Maybe you can tell me, you're the doctor. Such a contradictory line, Jesus. What the hell is going on here? Crazy part for script, Jesus. Weird. I told Tiffany, I said, honey, watch this with me for just a second. She said, what am I watching? I said, I'm going to rewind it. She heard it. And she said, what? I said, I said three times. So about the third time, I was like, is this not wrong?
00:39:36
Speaker
Yeah, like, I would think he'd be like, I'm gonna call the cops on you, dude. Like, what are you getting me into? This is some shady shit. Like, he just walked in like, he's like, hmm. It's a bunny, bro. It's a bunny.
00:39:48
Speaker
um Like, but I was thinking you brought it up and I was thinking the exact same thing. And I think that's actually one of the flaws of this film is everybody's just way too calm.
00:40:02
Speaker
Yeah. Everybody is so calm, the whole film. It doesn't feel like the stakes are ever super high. Yeah, no. Because like they're way too chill about that mind being on the table.
00:40:13
Speaker
Well, and even again, going back to like when they're running away and she's like, I'm tired. It's like, you're getting chased by aliens. Like what? and You're just like, like, it's like, come on. These plant bags are going to take you over, you know, like get it in gear. actually so I have it. I have it wrote my note set in three different situations. It has been said it's mass hysteria.
00:40:42
Speaker
it just in this movie so and that's the problem because i never saw any form of hysteria in the film never hysteria but that's what they kept saying it was mass hysteria mass hysteria mass delusion did they say delusion at all uh nothing that i wrote down on it but that's not to say that I don't know. I don't remember. I'm that so i'm just asking. I don't remember. Yeah. And then this one, it's harder to even tell that anybody's changed. Like at least in yeah like the 70s one, it's like, oh, okay. They're different. This one I'm like, how do they even know? They're just like, there's something in his eyes that aren't the same. And it's like, okay.
00:41:25
Speaker
That's an area that I love the 70s movies for because watching this one, I'm like, they're acting normal. Like the thing that gives her away at the end is she's upset about a dog almost getting hit. And like that scene's a little bit cringy in its own. Just you're trying to sneak away from this and you're going to scream about a dog in the street. But other than that, how is she acting different than the rest of them? They're not worried about the dog, I guess.
00:41:54
Speaker
ah there no emotion But they didn't convey, they didn't convey no emotion. They didn't convey like the every, the, the seventies version conveyed it so much better. Yes. Yeah. The kind of robotic. Yeah. Yeah. I totally agree. Totally agree on that. Uh, let's go ahead. We kind of jumped ahead to the script. We'll come back to the special effects. So let's, but let's go ahead and go into the script because I do,
00:42:24
Speaker
or skipping editing special effects? We'll come back to it. Okay. Because we've already kind of touched on script, script and acting like both same time. Yeah. Well, because the acting is part of the tension, I think, but also like Evan, you pointed it out, I don't know why I didn't even realize that as I was listening to it. Like I knew something was off, but I was like, this whole situation is just a little weird, but there were,
00:42:51
Speaker
The thing I appreciate about 50 scripts, older scripts is the intelligence in it. But there was something in this one that stood out to me was they basically said they could switch with any biological thing.
00:43:10
Speaker
Yeah. Which I thought was super fascinating because you think about, they don't really come out and say that in the seventies one, but they kind of hint at it with that man dog messed up hybrid thing. Oh yeah. mand dog interface yeah Man So they kind of hint at it with that, but that makes you wonder like, is that dog in the middle street at the end of this one? Is that, has its body been switched?
00:43:38
Speaker
so and is is a tree biological? Like, i guess yeah, I guess. So I logics are being transferred over. I mean, if they're filtering out emotion, does it matter that they even take over other species? If they're not really emotional, and there's nothing emotional or violent to filter out. It's that was just one of those lines that I thought was super interesting and adds another layer to the story that we barely even touch on if it can take over any biological thing.
00:44:09
Speaker
What's the potential behind that? I thought that was an interesting line. For the most part, I thought the best lines were the ones that were actually very similar to ones in the 78 version. You know, ah the one about once we take over, you're going to be glad or in an hour you'll be one of us, those type lines.
00:44:36
Speaker
I like those. ah um And then his at the end, when he's standing among the cars screaming, that line's pretty iconic for this film.
00:44:54
Speaker
which Which one, when he's screaming? Well, he's on like a highway between the cars going around. He's like, oh, I'm not crazy. He's banging on everybody's cars. Let's hang it off the truck. He sees the pods like, no. Yes. There was one point, too, that he said only when we have to fight to stay human, we realize how precious life it is, how precious life itself is or something. He said something like that, and it hit me.
00:45:25
Speaker
where I feel like, oh, that was like something that stuck out more so than like the 70s one. like I think this one had more kind of quotable. humanity. that That for sure. Between this one, between this movie and the original fly and original house of wax for a film set in those time periods, there was a lot more eloquence to the writing.
Script Writing & Special Effects
00:45:46
Speaker
Yeah, what you would have in like the 60s, 70s, 80s and whatever, you know, for films, you know, there was a like certain kind of like poeticism along with what they wrote into the dialogue for those films versus what you have now.
00:46:01
Speaker
I mean, then that's a pretty deep line, you know? Like when you really think about that, it's like, that's pretty deep. Yeah. The whole line, I have it pulled up, the whole line is doctor talking about, in my practice, I've seen how people have allowed their humanity to drain away. Only it happened slowly instead of all at once. They didn't seem to mind. All of us, a little bit, we harden our hearts, grow callous.
00:46:29
Speaker
only when we have to fight to stay human do we realize how precious it is to us how dear like that is awesome yeah it' all of it yeah that's got to be from the book that that's that sounds like something that they probably pulled straight from the book because it's so like poetic you know what i mean i would agree i would think so
00:46:56
Speaker
I also like some of their Becky and Miles's back and forth banter was
00:47:07
Speaker
It was naughty for the fifties. It was naughty. Like the line where, is this an example of your bedside man or doctor? And he goes, no, man, that comes later. Like ah they got a little spicy, but was that when, was that when they were outside like the restaurant, like when they were making out and stuff? Yes, I think so. Yeah. ah Yeah. Cause I remember being like, Oh, there's a lot of good lines in this film.
00:47:35
Speaker
There's no emotion, none, just the pretense of it. The words, the gesture, the tone of voice, everything else is the same, but not the feeling. Yeah. So they did better like explaining it in this one, and they did better showing in like the 70s one, I feel like. Yeah. The mind is a strange and wonderful thing. I'm not sure it will ever be able to figure itself out. Everything else maybe, be from the atom to the universe, everything except itself.
00:48:01
Speaker
and then lines. Becky at one point, Becky at one point, I don't want to live in a world without love or grief or beauty. I'd rather die. Like to to put g grief in there.
00:48:19
Speaker
is another level of acknowledging that like life isn't always sunshine and rainbows. like To live life, you're going to experience grief, and it often comes hands in hand hand in hand with love and beauty. like That line you could unpack, I don't want to live in a world without love or grief or beauty.
00:48:39
Speaker
like dad's This is it's it's a good script. It does have it does have some flaws. Definitely. Like some of the romance didn't really do it for me. I did love when they were pushing that spicy envelope because I thought it was funny and it kind of surprised me. I did read that they did an early screening of this and there was a lot more humor in it that they cut out.
00:49:04
Speaker
The studio didn't want it. The studio said cut out all the humor and keep it pretty straight laced. Actually, no so I just found this one. I remember from when they were first talking and hanging out when they both when Miles and Becky get together. Upon learning Becky's also divorced. Well, I guess that makes us Lodge brothers now.
00:49:22
Speaker
Yes, except I'm paying dues while you collect them. He's paying alimony while she's collecting alimony, even though they're both divorced. I was like, I have some clever shit right there. I thought that was fun. We'll see. So the wife must not be dead. No. they both got divorced So yeah, they did both get divorced. And he makes a joke about the fact that he's paying alimony while she's collecting it.
00:49:45
Speaker
In the 50s, that alone would have been racy. Two divorced, oh my god, oh, scandal. And at one point, too, she's like, I want to have your children. I think it was my children. When she said that, I was like, whoa, baby, calm down. They're so heightened when they get to that cave scene. And then like she says that, he goes off and sees the farm, comes back, and she's falling asleep. And like they fall in that puddle, and he's and he kisses her.
00:50:13
Speaker
like And then you get that that commentary that Ian, he's like, I've been afraid a lot of times in my life, but I didn't know the real meaning of fear until until I kissed Becky. Every kester, he realized she was emotionless and she had been snared. She'd been already changed over. It's like, damn, damn, damn. Guys, this conversation has persuaded me. I'm changing my score.
00:50:37
Speaker
like gang so I think we're going to have to as well. Be honest with you. That making out in the mud scene was fucking hot, especially for the 15th. You know what I mean? Like they were like, I liked that scene. i never done that one yeah I brought my script up to a floor. We brought enough attention to how solid some of this writing is. And yeah, it might come straight from the book, the lines that we like. But this is the first version. So I'm giving i'm giving it a four on the script. Just because solid stuff. I'm with you. I'm doing the same. I'm going from a three to a four. Well, and even if it comes straight from the book, I kind of like that more. I like when things really pull from books and try to stay true to the person's original vision, you know?
00:51:24
Speaker
I'm all for that. I hate it when, like, companies take fucking books and then ruin them. Yeah. In live action films, kind of like how MTV did with the Shandera series by Terry Brooks. I love Terry Brooks, one of my most favorite writers of all time. All his books and MTV shit all over it, motherfuckers. They shit all over it. Everyone was too pretty. That's what MTV was doing. Bunch of bullshit. They shit on everything. I know. You know what the worst for me was? True Blood.
00:51:55
Speaker
Cause when you read it, you've never never read it? Never really watched it. I see bits and pieces. At the end she, ah okay, spoiler alert everybody. I don't know if you guys, do you want to hear it? Just get it. Okay. So at the end she ends up with like a faceless man and the the people who like, I guess produced it or whatever, they were like, it didn't matter who she ended up with. And I was like, the whole fucking 13, 14 books that we were reading. All we cared about was who she ended up with. And that was like terrible. I hate when they do stuff like that. They're like, we just decided to go. It didn't matter. Like the rings of power on Amazon right now. <unk> that shitty
00:52:39
Speaker
It's just besides your fate. Yeah. It's just one of those. It's, I don't think it's terrible, terrible, but I roll my eyes more often than I'm like, Oh, that was good because they're pulling lines from the Lord of the rings trilogy and putting them into a show that takes place thousands of years before it. And I'm like, hu you have no original ideas. you can You can't write that. So Evan, did did we get your score for script?
00:53:10
Speaker
and you not You guys think I like it and I'm gonna stick with sticking with it it's two okay and i'm going to stick with that to you okay, you stated your case You you brought up i had a problem with it. It's just
00:53:30
Speaker
It was just kind of lazy writing in some spots. But i of course, unfortunately, some of that goes with the acting. But like I had said, with the whole situation of pretend you're not a doctor, but you're a doctor, damn it. Where's your suspension of disbelief? But at one point, he cut as soon as it seems like in the same day the doctor has come back,
00:53:56
Speaker
He's already out for lunch. He's been gone for, what have I got? Two weeks? Four or five months or something? He's been gone for two weeks. Oh, two weeks? He's been at a medical convention, and patients aren't going to other doctors. Like, come on, man. You gotta see your patients. They want you.
00:54:15
Speaker
Grab your fucking lunch on your way to get there buddy, because guess what? You got a long day ahead of ya. Get a quick lunch at the counter at Woolworth's or some shit bro. But, but, but, as I say that, he still has enough time.
00:54:29
Speaker
to hang out with Ms. Becky. Thank you. Becky was hot. bad Dana Winters is one of your... She looked good. She looked real good. I will say, she village she was gorgeous. Both versions of this film picked beautiful leading ladies.
00:54:54
Speaker
Yeah. Both versions. I am so sorry, you two people who are or who's watching this. I'm sorry for being that nasty. I'm sorry. No, you're good, man. I think Dana Winters, though, is by far way better than leading lady from the remake. We we like we like a good laugh on the show. So it's okay. Good. It's great good. All right. Good. Yup. I don't get up. It's all good. I think my mom stopped listening to us a while ago. So my mom was definitely not catching the halloween stuff ands mom I'm sorry if you are still listening. What? the Oh, you mentioned how he came to town and she was like, we've had people waiting for you every day. And then he gets there and everybody goes away. And I actually really liked how early we got that little hint that something has changed them.
00:55:44
Speaker
like they're no longer there. I really liked that little bit and you reminded me of that. So all right, we'll jump back editing and special effects in this film. This is one that it's a tough one because it's an older film and the editing in these films tends to be fairly basic.
00:56:04
Speaker
Evan, you got something to say about it? I sure will. Roll with it, right? offll Get it, dude. All right, let's go. That is a four. I'm actually going to go ahead and jump it up to a five right now. He's making up for that script right now. Because at the time that it was released, nobody had seen the things, something like that, where you've got a body with nothing to them is just an blank space and it's like man how did you do that in the 50s when even nowadays you see it on a CGI screen and it's like yeah that looks like shit yeah and you can tell it's a CGI but i do do like they were able to do it so well in 1956 is incredible
00:56:51
Speaker
yeah the plants everything it was it's it's a 10 if i if i was a person of 10 to 10s i'm a person of 10 to 10s but it is a five of five for you guys i the special effects of this whole movie were great i told I totally agree. The paper mache pods. So I was looking at that's the paper mache was how they made those pods outside of that scene with all the bubbling and the person falling out of it. Like they look really good. It's really good. And I actually think being in black and white adds to that.
00:57:29
Speaker
I think the black and white makes it so fantastic. I remember when I first saw this film, like way back in junior high, I started on the black and white old horror films. That's how I grew up. ah So I remember that being burned into my brain from years ago. My only issue, like the editing in this movie is nothing special. and It's fine. But I do say like ah That main scene with the pod person took 30,000 plus dollars then. That was a significant chunk of the budget.
00:58:11
Speaker
for then. And I was reading like the guy had a vision for it. That was his plan. And they put a ton of money into making it look as good as they did. They actually went back and forth with the studio fun fifties facts. They went back and forth with the studio multiple times because the studio thought there was too much nudity or implied nudity in that segment.
00:58:33
Speaker
Oh, even though it's nothing compared to the 70s film, yeah yeah the studio at that time was it's like the idea of a nude human was present enough that they that's why it ended up being covered in the soapy bubbles.
00:58:53
Speaker
but of pru okay yeah So they did that to kind of cover and obscure things and get by the studio and the studio eventually allowed it out. But at that time, like that scene was probably just as racy and intense in 1956 as the 70s one was in 78.
00:59:12
Speaker
You know, I still think the 70s one is pretty intense today, but the 50s one, it's a little faker. So I do agree, though, at that time. I just wanted to get boobs. Boobs. You got some top ties. You got some top ties on the 70s version.
00:59:31
Speaker
uh you know what i love i love that like classic like they're driving in the car and it's just like that fake like and they're like like i actually love that so even though that is like really shitty quality. like It's awesome. I love it. I love it. I thought about that as they were driving up to the Belichick House because you see where Dr. Benel and Becky are in the car and you can see it's being filmed and you can tell that it's on set because you see them pulling up to the the front of the house where his buddy is and you can tell that's totally a screen. That's totally so a projection that they're over and it's like, dude,
01:00:13
Speaker
Maybe amazing and like like big thing for them, but like what we know now, definitely very clear. yeah I was like, oh yeah, that was totally like overlay, like old school studio shit. you know They're sitting in the car somewhere and they're just going to protect the screen and they're just bouncing around. it da dirt I was talking to my coworker earlier. yeah We were listening to a song and he said it said something about white cloths. I said, you know what's going to be really sad, bud? I said,
01:00:40
Speaker
In about 20, 25 years, nobody's going to know what the fuck a white claw is. He's like, what do you mean, man? Nobody knows what a white claw is in the country. Great grandma. What's a white claw? That was some dumb shit back in the day. People don't even know what a Budweiser is.
01:01:01
Speaker
well wiser They don't know. Yes, we do. Budweiser. Us and our age. oh good yeah In the future. yeah like as generations The youngies, the youth, flaws and but the youngins all be bad lie the youth are like, give me my beat box and my lost Mary. Get out of your cabbage pictures. Yeah. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for derailing. Well, you're good.
01:01:33
Speaker
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah.
01:01:40
Speaker
Oh, yeah. I was just laughing because ah Norma Jean's guitarist went through two of the big white claws during the concert. Oh, geez. ah So I was a four editing in special effects. It was a four for me. I'm going to give them credit. But there are it's a low budget film and it shows in moments. However, I think it has stood the test of time better than many of the films from that era.
01:02:10
Speaker
Well, I think it stood up better than the 70 version. Wait, so the bodies in the pot, you guys, there's the time about the paper mache. You say like when those pods are opening in the little garden thing, all four of them, that was all paper mache. That was on because it looked like they were kind of like, maybe like damp.
01:02:25
Speaker
because they still seem like there was some movement in figure when they're breaking out. So the pod before the pods throughout the film are paper mache, except for that scene because of the fluid and all that in that shot. And that one had to have like, they had somebody inside of it.
01:02:45
Speaker
Okay. Gotcha. Okay. Cause I really liked how they had that when the pods opened, all those four pods in the little garden there at Dr. Benel's house. Yeah. I like to open up. There's still those soft like forms that are vague. It would just kind of nubby kind of coming out, you know? And it looked like damp, wet loads of paper mache on them. It's just like a swampy mess.
01:03:05
Speaker
kind of coming out. And then like with the way they use the big foamy bubbles as they slowly started breaking down as part of the transformation. And even with the first one you see in the film with that it seemed like they had kind of like a fading overlay of bubbles on one of them versus just the bubbles and mass breaking down naturally.
01:03:23
Speaker
which I still thought was kind of cool. If that if that is what I saw, you know, so so that was pretty cool with that. The editing, I just I didn't really give much thought to. I was just looking for for cool shit to happen. And the coolest thing like was seeing those pods break open all four of those. And then him going between all of them. Kevin McCarthy with his little pitchfork and like not being able to kill the others, especially Becky, but then seeing his and you get like that quick second and a half, two second frame shot where you see his clone, where you see the body looks like just a bare rubber cavity thing versus a form chest. But I mean, the fact that it's still amorphous kind of makes it okay that there's no detail of it. And then it just looks like a big rubber chest shield kind of thing before he really plugs into it with his pitchfork.
01:04:15
Speaker
you know um So mean there there was some cool stuff, but otherwise I can't really give much to effects aside from that. So I can't get out of three. And then Strawberry, did you give your thoughts? I think I gave it a four. That that scene really surprised me. it that really ah I feel like I was not expecting it to look that good at all. so And i it was really cool. so i i mean And like I said, even with like the driving, even though it's like cheesy and ah I love that. And so um ah yeah and like effects wise, I don't remember, I don't know. It's a four for me.
01:05:00
Speaker
All right. See, when I think about like that driving scene with the the screenshot driving of the driveway, we were talking about like you were just saying, it makes me think a lot of like old SNL skits. Yeah, that's a big thing. SNL is like the people in the car bouncing around, but you could tell it's like as it's a bullshit screenshot that's in front of That's maybe thinking that a lot. They always remind me of Scooby-Doo in the old animations, because how you would see them like run down a hallway in the same two doors would pass by. In my head, I'm like, I know this isn't how they did it, but in my head, I'm picturing Scooby-Doo running on a treadmill, and then that screen just rotating behind him. It's the same thing they did for these shots. And I think Scooby was actually parodying that, but that's fine. All right, so the acting in this film. We kind of touched on it.
01:05:48
Speaker
Evan's got something to say. Oh, no, no, no, no. Go right ahead. I feel like you're getting more comfortable on this episode, Evan. I like it. So the acting, I put it as a ah as a three. OK. I'm right there in that middle.
01:06:07
Speaker
It wasn't terrible acting, you know but the writing was what it was. The acting goes from the writing. um you know the doctor he's been in plenty of other movies since this and before this and so has becky becky has been in a bunch of movies since this as well but all in all you know just seeing the pieces just watching fifties things is like
01:06:42
Speaker
kind of yeah kids you kind of grossed out being a being in these days I'm not gonna be that person that says it's misogynistic it's not it's sexual it's this it's that it's this it's that you mean vintage vibes not values values ah yeah whatever you just said yeah I don't know what you just said but that's cool vintage vibes not values
01:07:12
Speaker
I've never heard that. I like that. Yeah. I've never heard that either. So that's that's interesting. And yeah, that's exactly what I'm hearing. I didn't have a problem and I didn't think it was great. So it's right there in the middle. It was a three of three for me. Yeah. I i i kind of agree. I think part of my biggest problem with the acting in this film, I thought they did a good job.
01:07:38
Speaker
But we talked about when they first come across that body on the table, like I never felt like they were truly scared. i Like a shock of a body. Like, yeah. Where is it? do you Like, come on. like it's ah It's got that. And it's very notorious for 50s films, earlier films is they're just kind of.
01:07:58
Speaker
wooden very stoic composed you know yeah they don't break out of that a whole lot towards the end of this movie you get a little bit more frantic and I think it picks up a little bit there but for the most part it's very it's just good I I didn't have a major problem with it but I'm right there with Evan it's It doesn't offend me, but I think it also definitely like, I think there's a reason why I think the 70s one is more intense and scary. Yes, yeah exactly. yeah expressive There's far more expressive in the seat in the remake than the original. Well, and these two, these two in their relationship had great like banter and it was fun and you could tell that they kind of knew each other, but there was nothing like that scene of Sutherland telling her to shake her eyes.
01:08:51
Speaker
Yeah, i was I was just thinking that, yeah, like deeper, much deeper deeper of a like friendship. Like even though these these two like had history and this and that, it was more, this was more like sexually playful. Like, let's go to bed maybe. Like that's just kind of where the other one. Let's go to sleep in two separate beds. It got more romantic. as like lucy this As it progressed, like they got a little bit more romantic where like the 70s one, their connection was there from the beginning. Even if it wasn't romantic, it was a much stronger connection. and It felt natural. right yeah this yeah This one walked the line of like stage play. yeah Yeah, but a lot of that goes into like the acting style for the time. yeah well I would agree. you know so
01:09:47
Speaker
yeah we Actually, which hand is he going to slap me with today? Is it going to be the backhand of his right hand or is it going to be the right hand? I mean, I was his ring finger. Backhand with a little baby powder. My sandwich. I remember thinking when I was watching it. Being hysterical, woman.
01:10:08
Speaker
that like actually they didn't overact. I mean, we're saying that we wish they would have ah and acted more at that one scene, but otherwise they, I mean, they didn't really overact like they do in a lot of fifties movies. That's a fair point. Uh, I beg to differ on that. yeah boys is When they were actually in, um, what was it? Benel? Benel. Dr. Benel.
01:10:35
Speaker
No, they were in Jack's house. They were in Jack's house, and Jack had busted that damn bottle, or can't, uh... cup in his hand. No until he freaked out. Did anybody else pay attention and then rewind that on that? What did he break it? How did he break it? He had it in his hand. So either if he gripped the cup too hard or he dropped the cup and then just, Oh, yeah it could have been a slip and try to catch while it broke kind of situation. That's the previous bartender. I've had shit like that. He didn't go down far enough and he isn't that tall. He doesn't have long armory.
01:11:11
Speaker
yeah No one said he had a good grip on things. rex he's got like right yeah mean The guy's got a bar like right after you walk in his front door of his place. i mean Yeah, like a full bar. yeah is a heart you should mar there glass is like that either He should be pretty dang good at it.
01:11:31
Speaker
Should be flipping them around his hands, rolling them down his arm. It's a small tale. He's probably not that popular, so he probably doesn't have a guess. He just has a fancy place to try and get people. Okay, that's the right answer. At that time, he's used to serving beer out of a can labeled beer, so that's what they did. So like really old school hams beer? Yep. You might have- You're taking a strong hand.
01:11:58
Speaker
But yeah, that lack of of react, of like reactivity or reactiveness to certain things that, yeah, I was kind of a little dead on that. But I mean, even the people who are converted still seemed a little bit more expressive than they should have been yeah for people who've had emotions filtered out versus what you see in the 78 version, where they're very, where they're very more strict and hardcore about that lack of emotion and care anything related to any sense of like positive or negative feeling they're just kind of monotone in that feeling versus in this original in 56 they still got a little more emotion they try to play it really hard in that one scene where
01:12:39
Speaker
ah ah Dr. Beno like creeps up on the house while Becky's in the car at the wheel waiting and they're getting ready to like roll out of shit goes down He's at that window and when they're talking about the baby like oh, yeah, I give the baby the pills No more crying this time blah bla blah blah, you know i mean like just a real part maybe in the court Motion in that part That was very dead emotion, especially for a mother. It's like, man, that that actually kind of hurts to to hear a mother talking about her child like that. Yeah. Yeah. yeah that's kind of yeah It was like the baby is, what did it say? The baby is just asleep or something. Bring in the pot. Baby is in the corner. they cri ah Yeah. That was like a really like, Oh my God moment. Like, and that's the, yes.
01:13:25
Speaker
I know. Is the baby asleep yet, Sally? No, but she will be soon, and there'll be no more tears. Shall I put this in her room? Yes, in her playpen. Yeah. Yeah. See, this movie has some dead emotion, so lack of emotion that was really hard. I'm like, man, yeah that is the most pod person part of the film you're going to see is that reaction. And even like and it kind of throws you off, too, because when ah The Grimaldi Mom and Little Jimmy come, they're sitting there all lovey-dovey about reading the book. like That doesn't quite play into the the whole point of lack of emotion and love lack of love and hate because they're still it seems that's still a very affectionate looking moment, even for as down-toned as it was. Yeah, that's true. That doesn't really make sense.
01:14:14
Speaker
Yeah, so I found a fault in that. But otherwise, overall, I mean, the the kind of deadpan and the coordination and like that hive mind kind of feel they had when, um when, ah Was it Miles? And then Becky are hiding out in his doctor's office and they see the square and everyone coming together and coordinating between the three trucks and the pods and everything. Everyone just seemed very uniform and kind of marching to the beat in that situation, which kind of was cool. But I don't know, even when they're chasing them down, though, through the hills, ah it seemed like there was still too much emotion for people who were supposed to be devoid of that at that point.
01:14:51
Speaker
um But aside from that, the like the deep parts of motion between Becky and Dr. Benel, even when they're trying to hide out in the caves, that's all that was still pretty good. And that sentiment of wanting to desperately hold on to those feelings of love. When Becky's talking about, like he's just talking about when he's like, Oh, I want to have your babies and oh all that stuff, you know, that was still very impactful. But between that and kind of the deadpan parts of it, I set it at three.
01:15:16
Speaker
Did anybody else, I thought it was cool that they like went into the floor, and but when he put the floorboard like over them, did you notice when they were running over it that people were like slipping? Yeah, it's crazy. yeah like they were like The boards were like opening up a little bit, but they were like pretending like that wasn't happening. You know what I'm talking about? Because I was like, how did?
01:15:43
Speaker
I don't know that, but I thought that team was cool, that they like hid in the floor like that. Yeah, it was one of my more favorite parts of the film. Yeah. That sense of ingenuity is like, oh, how are we going to get away from these guys? Boom. Let's pop in this hole in the floor. Let's do this. That was cool, yeah. In a fucking rickety mind that could cave and walk around, who knows, with all this bullshit.
01:16:04
Speaker
California mines and whatever santa mira or whatever it's called. We're gonna santa mira the made-up town in california Yeah, so the direction we're we're getting to the end of this here the direction of this film So for it being a b movie Meant to be part of a double feature low budget I think this movie is actually really well directed.
Direction & Low Budget Creativity
01:16:30
Speaker
I think the director did an excellent job with a lot of this from handling special effects shots to juggling some of those more intense moments. It's not perfect, no. But I got to go back to yesterday was the fly and man, I did not enjoy that movie that much.
01:16:52
Speaker
This one, I enjoyed quite a bit and I just, there's a difference there. And I think a lot of that is how it was directed and how it was handled. And so I gotta to give, ah was it Siegel? No. Did you say Siegel? Siegel? Yeah, Don Siegel. Yeah. Directed by Don Siegel. Oh, I thought he said Siegel when I was thinking of that, when a singer, Siegel. Oh, no, no. Like what?
01:17:22
Speaker
Don Siegel directed it. He did a really good job, especially all things considered with the low budget behind it. He directed a heck of a lot of movies between 1942 and his last film was 82. He did yes he did ah two movies with Clint Eastwood, Charity Harry and Escape from Alcatraz. Yeah, that's what I was just going to say, Escape from Alcatraz.
01:17:52
Speaker
Yeah. So the dude had some chops and I think it's evident in this film that he was talented and he went on to do, I don't think it's arguable. I mean,
01:18:06
Speaker
Escape from Alcatraz. ah Dirty Harry. He went on to do better and bigger movies. Those are legendary films. And so is this one. I'm not going to say they're to everybody's taste, Evan. Dirty Harry and Escape From Alcatraz are well known. And so I was impressed with the direction I gave him before. I thought he did a nice job of handling this film. And this is one I do think.
01:18:36
Speaker
I do think he handled the ending better than 78. I do think he knew. We mentioned how this one moved a heck of a lot faster. It's 80 minutes. This one is 80 minutes versus the 118 of the 70s movie, but all of the key elements are still there.
01:19:00
Speaker
in this film and once things get rolling he wraps it up nicely at the end. I don't always care for the sandwiching stories like at the beginning the hook of let me tell you what happened and then coming back to it at the end and that revealed that like oh the pods are on their way here. I don't always care for that storytelling technique but I thought he did a good job with it in this film. I kind of liked the filming it like a noir movie where he's like, and that's when I realized, you know, telling back, looking over the story. I thought that was a nice, different layer to it.
01:19:39
Speaker
Yeah, I liked that this one was a little more hopeful and there wasn't, it like the 70s one leaves you feeling so dreadful, where this one you're like, oh, you're gonna do it, like we're gonna win, like the humans will win, you know, like, where the other one you're just like, damn, that's it.
01:19:59
Speaker
They got our guy like we're done. So, um, I know that, I guess that doesn't really have anything to do with direction, but that's just a thought, just a thought I had about it. I liked, I liked that about this one better. That's all right. I just suck to talk about direction too. I fall flat on that one a lot. um So I don't have much to really say about it other than the fact like that part though, where they're hiding out in his office and, um,
01:20:31
Speaker
ah Jack and the other guy, who's supposed to be his doctor friend that already converted, when they like they're bring in the pods, they're gonna sit with them, they give them shots, whatever. No, they didn't give them shots, no, but like they said, like okay, we're gonna give you sedatives, you guys are eventually gonna pass out, then it's go it's just gonna happen, there's no escaping it. And the way they played around that room, between the hallway and back around, to try and overtake them, before getting you know converted,
01:21:00
Speaker
And then, like, the planning and the staging and the setup of that whole scenario with her and her shot for, you know, to be on the back end, him coming around, sneaking up on them, causing that whole scene to make him come out and be like, what's going on? And sneaking up and then, boom, jab with the blades in the back and then the cop coming in and then Becky taking him out with the shot. There was such a ah great coordination of that whole setup. yeah I was like, I was kind of impressed with that and I really enjoyed that.
01:21:27
Speaker
So I'm not sure if that really plays in the direction, but I thought that was well done in that set. So aside from the rest of it, I give three. okay Yeah, I always think about the direction is how well.
01:21:41
Speaker
Like, the director put all these other categories together. How well does everything meld to create the final vision? And I always think of the director as the one being in charge of that. How does the camera work with the acting, work with the sound, and how well, and picking scenes like that to like, hey, this is how all those things marry beautifully. that's I tend to think of that as the direction. It's the final vision.
01:22:07
Speaker
And they give that final stamp on it. So I think that would be the appropriate moment to say that. Yeah. OK. Well, was it being a black and white film, they they definitely made a good use of lighting and like high and dark tones. Oh, yeah. Through everything to kind of exercise some of the scenes. Even like but god that, like back in the office again, when they're hiding from everybody and they're sitting in the closet there,
01:22:31
Speaker
and you've got the light coming in from the grate and you can see just the light on their faces while hoping they don't get seen and you see the cops face kind of popping looking in the grate but doesn't notice them and still goes off. I was like, man, it'd be such a kicker if that cop was such a smart enough guy to just make it so I was walking out, close the door and just stand there quietly waiting for them to pop out and be like, boom, gotcha, bitch. That would have been kind of funny. I thought it would have been awesome. But it's great that it worked out that they weren't able to hide from everybody. but And I was like, man, that that's I just love the way they use the lighting in a lot of those scenes. Yeah. Yeah. Evan and Strawberry, did we get your scores? As for me on direction, you know I'm going to kind of voice the same with you guys. The director did great in reality at the end of the day. He did a good job with what he had for low budget.
01:23:28
Speaker
to work it the way he did. Everything that you guys have said, I'm gonna give it a four, but I'm gonna tell you guys also, I don't know if y'all remember it just as well, was ah that damn dog sold them out when they had walked out of that police station. That damn dog had fucking barked at him because they were supposed to be emotionless, but nope.
01:23:52
Speaker
Not her. That's why I said it. Becky's forgot herself. she She knew what she was supposed to do. She failed the assignment. She got them busted and fucked out. I think that was a pod dog. No one even looks. I think it was a pod dog.
01:24:05
Speaker
Yeah. That dog had been replaced by an alien. that's my thats That dog would've been my feet would have been my food after that. That dog is coming with me. I'm going to get enough barkings until I hide underneath that tongue. It's no dog-faced banjo man, but we'll take it. It's okay. I'm going to eat. as You can't ever tell what's going to be on the meal for Pod people. Yeah. That's true. We never see them eat in any of the films, actually. No, do they eat? That's the thing. Yeah, you never see them eat. And you don't see it in the 70s version either, I don't think, do you? No. Flies is the thing. There's the scene where they're going to the dinner club and it's empty. There's hardly anybody there. And he's talking about, yeah, for the past couple of weeks it's been like this. There's hardly anybody coming in here, you know?
01:24:54
Speaker
You have no need for love, you have no need for hate, you have no need for hunger, none of
Humorous Speculations & Cultural Impact
01:25:00
Speaker
that. Do they poop?
01:25:03
Speaker
They're like me. Strawberry, they osmosis the turd right in the toilet. yeah is it what If they're plant-based, are they breathing in what? What do plants take in? They release oxygen. ah they take and They have blood, but they're photosynthesizing? Photosynthesis, yeah. yeah I'm not a biologist, I don't know.
01:25:24
Speaker
I just don't work. You got to fail your metachlorians.
01:25:30
Speaker
Strawberry, did you give yours? I just agree. I agree with all you guys. you know There's nothing else to say. We've said it all on that, I feel like. um Well, I think it was what I do, three or four. You did four? yeah Four. Yeah, four. I'll stick with the four. All right. So the it factor on this one, does somebody else want to go first? I i will. Okay. Evan, you go for it. That is a five. Oh. That is a five. It is something, you know, to not have seen this movie, I don't think, but maybe once, maybe twice. And one time was in drama class. Um,
01:26:12
Speaker
I actually had to bring my brain back to it but when I took drama in high school they actually showed this movie and this was one of them it stuck with me for a long time but I've been out of school for the better part of 15 years ah
01:26:34
Speaker
But that was one of those that just kind of stuck with you, along with ah the day the Earth stood still. And it was just like, man, to watch these again is that's great. And then the fact that it's going to, so far that like, what was it recently? It was Naomi Watts, or not Naomi Watts. No, I think it was, or was a- Was it in Daniel Craig? 2012, 2014?
01:27:04
Speaker
This was body stanchers? It was just the invasion. Oh, the invasion. Body stanchers was the 93. It's important that people still to this day, they look at the money that Jeff Bezos, people like that, all these rich people. It was Nicole Kidman. There you go, Nicole Kidman. Who's to say that we're the same person if somebody wants to clone us and kill us off?
01:27:33
Speaker
They have cloned, ah what was it, sheep? Yeah. Yes. Yeah. Mm-hmm. They've cloned sheep, but they can't cure diabetes, huh? They can. Imagine that. They can, but they're just not going to give it to you. I know. That's That's OK. That's OK.
01:27:54
Speaker
just anything you know who's to say it tomorrow I'm not really actually talking to Jonathan or tomorrow I'm not talking to actually Tim. No. Or tomorrow I'm not talking to actual strawberry. So you guys have just been transformed into. Meat pops out. AI to make it. Yeah. At this point it's AI. Right.
01:28:23
Speaker
So it's just it's just a head scratcher to say how crazy that they were so far in the 50s to say this is something that could happen way longer, further into the future.
01:28:36
Speaker
Well, and you mentioned that like the idea you could be talking to somebody as AI and I haven't really thought about it that way. But like how many times have you gotten a text from somebody and you're like, this doesn't quite sound like this person.
01:28:53
Speaker
And you know, you're unsure of this communication. And there's, imagine that in real life. Yeah. Looking at the person. I still do it. I still do it. Yeah. In real life. Like I'll have a buddy text me and he'll be like saying something. I'm like, oh, hold on. Yes. Let me thank for a second. What's only something you and me would know. And I'll type that to him. I tickled your back.
01:29:19
Speaker
like no yeah You brought that up and it made like I just went down this trail because same thing happened to me last week. I hadn't heard from a buddy in a while. I was in his wedding. He was in my wedding and he texts me and he's like, Hey, how's it going? And I'm like, Oh, hey, good. And he was like, have you seen what's on ABC news? And I was like,
01:29:39
Speaker
a If you watch ABC, bro, like like this isn't a normal conversation between us and I'm immediately It turned out he got hacked like his whole Instagram Facebook his phone number was being used like it was a mess but I never really thought about this pod person idea and how today it's it is the idea that like the online identity you have that same exchange we have when a friend of ours gets hacked and it feels off and you feel weird. Just imagine that like going to meet somebody for coffee and you sit down and start to talk and you're looking at them and going, this is off. This doesn't. This isn't my Tinder profile person. i got feel lied to you i didn't steale This isn't the normal catfish.
01:30:36
Speaker
How old are your pictures? You look a little... Yeah, so I totally get that. Evan, came in there on your train of thought on that. Anything else for your... No, all I was all i was getting at was just that it's ah it's something, you know, to just think of how the world has changed so much in, let's see, 56, so that's... ah I don't want to math right now is that is nearly 70 years, 68 years damn near 70 years. Yeah. So seven years from 56. Let's just go ahead and give a take it.
01:31:19
Speaker
To see how much a difference, you know, I'm not going to, I'm going to go so real quick on this one. But when I was in high school, I did journalism. And I asked my grandmother who was at the time, she was 85 years old. I had asked her, I said, how did the world change so much from when you were born to this time? And she said, just technology. She said, just seeing how fast she said, it just goes rapid.
01:31:46
Speaker
And I said, well, that's interesting. You know, I'm going to go skip all the good parts. But she was there when the Titanic sunk everything. And she told me about it when she was but when she was a young lad or a like young yeah a young lad. Young Young lad. When I was a young warthog. She said newspapers still lasted better back then than they do nowadays because they're all built off of recycled bullshit.
01:32:17
Speaker
and I still have those papers.
01:32:22
Speaker
But it's just crazy if you guys wouldn't think to yourselves is 70 years ago from this, think about 70 years from us right now, what we live. I'd be 104.
01:32:39
Speaker
But yeah, we'll finally have flying cars and please flying
Reflections on Technology & Generational Stories
01:32:43
Speaker
cars. No, that i I totally get what you're saying. Like my grandfather just passed away last year and he was 90. It was one of the, he was 94. He was ready to go.
01:32:55
Speaker
And he yeah like to your statement, like not to be casual about it, he watched everybody he loved and grew up with die. Like all of his friends had passed on. His kids now had grandkids and could visit once a year. It's a hard life at that age. And so it was when I think back, he was born in 28.
01:33:19
Speaker
You know, born in the depression, you go through World world War II, you go through, he was stationed in Japan after that. How much the world changed? He saw the microwave, the TV, the radio, cell phone, iPhone, you know? yeah And we tend to make fun, we're I feel like we're going on a big tangent here, but it's good stuff. yeah and We take everything we have for granted. Yeah, well, even those elderly in our lives were quick to kind of,
01:33:48
Speaker
Oh, yeah. Grandpa can't use a cell phone. I'm like, you get you've grown up with this, but it is a 10th of his lifespan. Dude, for real, it's crazy. it ah I get why he couldn't figure out FaceTime at 94 years old. Yeah. and And we as humans are only one percent of what the Earth has lived. Yeah, it's wild. It's wild.
01:34:14
Speaker
and My grandpa's the same way. He passed last year as well, and he was 87. Oh, thank you. But like he he was like on the verge of it. My aunt Cindy stayed on top of it with him to help him like catch up on it, so they would FaceTime like every night at 8 o'clock.
01:34:30
Speaker
all the time. Like every night she would call him FaceTime and she managed to keep him up on that. But with the way the vast changes and the stories that he told me and the shit that he would show me from his childhood, I'm like, damn, this is crazy. Like compared to now, like the shit that he used to do as a kid, you would never catch people doing on the regular now, you know, the vast changes and stuff.
01:34:51
Speaker
Man, I'm gonna get emotional going down this road, and miss sitting on grandpa's porch hearing him tell stories. Evan, yeah. My favorite one, I'll tell it. We can take a moment of silence for grandpas.
01:35:11
Speaker
Okay. i do like One of my favorite ones, I didn't tell it out at a funeral, so I'll put it here on YouTube. um He told me about when he was like 13 or 14 and this would have been like 41, 42, he and his cousins snuck out to go to the local burlesque show. They would sneak it would sneak into the theater and peer in from like the balcony where they would sneak they could sneak into the projection booth, but they would go in there and they would watch the burlesque show. And he was telling me about sneaking out to catch that. And I was like, that's hilarious, grandpa. I love basketball of that. That's so cool. What a bad boy. He was. Yeah, 14 years old. Grandma straightened him out. Grandma straightened him out for sure. All right. So if I'm going to dive back in, back into the it factor, so I'm going to echo Evan on this five. guy It factor five for this one. So let me just ah go through it.
Critical Acclaim & Influence on Media
01:36:20
Speaker
It was largely ignored by critics during its initial run, but the film currently holds a 98% approval rating and a 9.1 out of 10 rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It's considered one of the best political allegories of the 50s. It's an efficient, chilling blend of sci-fi and horror. In recent years,
01:36:42
Speaker
ah The Chicago Reader has called the film genuine sci-fi classic. Leonard Maltin described it as influential and still very scary. Time Out called it the most resonant and one of the simplest of the genre. And it's a big film despite its limited budget.
01:37:00
Speaker
It was selected in 1994 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant. In 2008,
01:37:16
Speaker
The American Film Institute, AFI, revealed its 10 top 10, the best 10 films in 10 American genres. After pulling a whole bunch of people, Invasion of the Body Snatchers was acknowledged as the ninth best film in the science fiction genre. The film also placed in AFI's 100 Years, 100 Thrills as one of the most thrilling films to ever be made.
01:37:41
Speaker
It's included in Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments, named 29th Scariest Film Ever Made by Chicago Film Critics, IGN ranked it as the 15th best sci-fi picture, Time Magazine included it in the top 100 list, like the accolades go on and on and on, and then you stop and think about the term pod person.
01:38:04
Speaker
came from this. When you think about pod people and all, and what that means and how it kind of took on its own life to call, it's just pod people or whatever, came from this film. So to me, and the fact that it has inspired not one, not two, but four remakes, on top of it briefly inspired Assimilate,
01:38:34
Speaker
in 2019 and it there was another remake in development as of 2017 for Warner Brothers. hey It inspired the ABC television TV series Invasion in 2005 and is a subplot in a Netflix TV show called Another Life. Interesting. It's out there. like i be hard-pressed to find a sci-fi movie from the 50s that is as influential as this one. You can, like, yes, the saucers in space and all that stuff, but that was just about every sci-fi movie in the 50s. This one was so unique. You sit there and watch Mystery Science Theater 3000, and they they'll give you everything you want to watch. but
01:39:27
Speaker
i mean most of it's not good yeah that's why it's on there that's why you're watching it um yeahs the d film but i love in the c three kit these d films yeah they yeah Yeah, and I think that is that is much of that significance is MST 3k covers Sci-fi movies from the 50s and 60s and obscure titles and none of them stand out Quite as much as a film like this one did so I it is a five for me on the it factor for this film and maybe not because of the day it was initially released but since then this film went on ah one of the fun
01:40:13
Speaker
like trivia facts about this movie is the lead actor and his buddy were both going in for separate roles in separate movies at the time.
01:40:24
Speaker
um
01:40:27
Speaker
And he was kinda our, what was his name? I'm spacing on the actor's name, McCarthy. He was kinda not thrilled that he was in this movie.
01:40:39
Speaker
Huh. Because he wanted to be in a bigger budget film. And um let me see if I can find the exact. What movie it was. Yeah.
01:40:53
Speaker
Okay, Kevin McCarthy was good friends with Montgomery Clift, another actor at that time, but was jealous because while at the same time, Clift was working at MGM, shooting the prestige big budget historical movie, Rain Tree County with Elizabeth Taylor as his co-star. So obviously McCarthy wants to that role. McCarthy was making this B-budgeted science fiction movie at a cheap studio.
01:41:22
Speaker
And then little did either of them know that eventually Raintree County would be virtually forgotten. An invasion of the body snatchers is considered a classic. yeah So that's just like, yeah, I can see at that time, maybe not a huge deal, but this movie, it's kind of a big deal now in hindsight. It might not be everybody's taste, but it's a significant piece of film.
01:41:53
Speaker
So that's my five.
Personal Ratings & Rewind Habit
01:41:54
Speaker
Nice. I feel bad because I gave it a two just because I feel like, well, this is not how I feel. You're welcome to hear your own thoughts. No, well, so personally, I feel like I would rate it ah like a four, but I gave it a two because I feel like before I didn't even know there was a 56 version. I thought the 70s version was the original version.
01:42:21
Speaker
um I mean, that's my fault, I guess, but I feel like the general population don't know about this. particular year, like this movie. So i that's just my take on it. So I was like, I don't think it has that it factor, like the 70s one. I feel like this one kind of got swept under the rug. But like when you explain it like that, obviously it's like, oh shit, like, oh damn, you know, like that's wild. But I just feel like if I went up to somebody
01:42:58
Speaker
ah Even probably most horror fans like hey invasion of the body snatchers 56. They'd probably be like never seen it, you know um So, I mean like have you guys did you guys see this well Evan you said you did did you guys see this before? Like this my first time. Yeah, this actually actually watched it before we watched the 70s version of And that's why I was shitting so hard on it. Cause I was like, man, this just is not a good movie. And then I realized Tim and Tim had said, uh, all right, well, we'll have our time on the, on the next one where we're discussing both of them. And I was like, I kind of just want to talk about that.
01:43:42
Speaker
and now damn it Yeah, I think I would up mine. I think I would up mine to a four. I mean, I still feel like it's something that a lot of people just don't know about, but I'll go a little bit off of more of my personal feelings on it. And I just, I just, this, the whole, I just love the whole idea about it. I, it's, it's one of, I don't know. I just love it. I love it. All right. I upped your score. I adjusted for you. Yep.
01:44:14
Speaker
coming out of the Cold War era kind of situation of that and like that sense of like trying to fight communism and everyone being the same being on the same level um kind of makes an impact in this and that whole sense of losing your sense of individuality is a big thing that's a big theme here that plays into it that a lot of people see coming out of that era like oh my gosh you know it's important to remain you know to retain your your independence and your freedom yeah as Americans and wanted to stand strong against you know this just being part of the general herd mentality. you know And then the fact that um this idea that you could be overrun so subtly through something biological or being brainwashed in a way that it just eliminates all sense of emotion from you is a big cue right there that
01:45:06
Speaker
You know, it's played out into so many different films. And then just the fact that some kind of organism can come from a different world and take over, that's played out and splayed out in a lot of different films throughout a lot of sci-fi horror films. And it's played a big part in the development of all those different kinds of concepts and ideas. And the films that had spawned from that um is pretty amazing. So I ranked this part at a four.
01:45:32
Speaker
All right. All right. So i let's go to our entertain. So this is our one score out of 10. Just overall entertainment value. What most?
01:45:47
Speaker
Well, it's what our good buddies over at the nightclub do. They tell you if it's a 10 or not. This is that moment for us. And then you can go ahead and give your final thoughts on the film and we'll we'll break it down and get our average out of that. So for me, I can kind of keep this one. I'll keep it nice and short on this. I'm a seven.
01:46:14
Speaker
i I like the 78 version better. ah deal yeah I But I don't think that is anything to do with the quality of this film. I think this is a high quality, excellent piece of vintage, sci-fi, 50s horror. I love the movie for that. I think it does the ending better than the 78 version. I think the ending is much better in this film.
01:46:46
Speaker
And it makes me wish I could see the 78 version with this ending. And I should be clear, I am not talking about Donald Sutherland opening his mouth and screeching. I think that's perfect. I love that kind of that kind of bleak ending. But and Like I said, on that film, it went on about 20 minutes too long after significant events happened. This one doesn't do that. This one keeps the pace pretty brisk. So I... Close and to the point. Yup. I really appreciate that for this one. I will say I think part of my enjoyment was taken away from this film by watching the 78 one so close to it. If I had given it time, I would encourage people to watch this original first.
01:47:35
Speaker
first. Watch this first and then watch the 78. It does kind of spoil some It's the same story. It's the same story. It's just gonna be which one Resonates with you a little bit more. So while I enjoy this film a lot. I Love what it did for sci-fi horror its significance and I think it's done really really well It doesn't look like a low-budget movie from the 50s. It really doesn't it looks solid so I give this a movie ton of credit but at the end of the day I
01:48:10
Speaker
I do think the 78 version is nearly flawless outside of the extended runtime. So that's where I'm a seven on this one.
01:48:23
Speaker
All right. Um, so I liked the film. I, you know, I agree. I, I still say, I would say that the, uh, curve, I concur, sir, that the 78 version was better than the 56 version. Um, and like strawberry was saying early on, um, a lot of those scene to scene comparisons between the original and the remake, having that sense of consistency. I liked a lot of that, you know, especially when like.
01:48:47
Speaker
in both movies, they're stuck in this office, in this building, trying to find a way out, overcoming, the people trying to put them down, and then making their way out of the building, walking through the streets, trying to be incognito and stay in line with everybody else. you know There was a lot of mainline playthrough that I liked in that sense of consistency when you think about what they originally did and how they kept up with that trend in the remake.
01:49:13
Speaker
um I thought was pretty cool, but I thought it kind of dragged on certain parts. Some of the overemphasized romance parts were a bit much. I could have done without a crooked, like kind of brought down a little bit, maybe, um, kill but yeah. So it pays a lot of parts, but overall, um, I didn't like it as much as 78 version. So I gave this one a six. Okay. Um,
01:49:42
Speaker
I gave this a four, unfortunately. I i kind of love that because you've praised this movie real hard at moments, but your enjoyment was slow. It's that I praised it so well because I did enjoy it, but really at the end of the day was I entertained by it, not particularly. And I've seen it once before, but it had been so long that it was almost like watching a new movie.
01:50:15
Speaker
with that being said sitting here talking with you guys i'ma jump it okay i'ma jump it and you guys are gonna have you guys are gonna be like mind blown like what the fuck is he doing oh nine no what what nine wow you're gonna go from a four to a nine To just with talk, see, that's what I love about that. That is unheard of, leaps and bounds. That's amazing. That's what I love about watching and talking movies with other people is to hear other people's inputs and insights on every different scene. I love it. So what I don't enjoy is like, well, you know, it's for some people, it's not for me, it's not for me.
01:51:02
Speaker
And then I hear the way you guys talk about it passionately. I'm hearing and Tim talk passionately about certain spots. Jonathan, I'm hearing you talk good about other spots. Strawberry, and I'm hearing you talk about great spots. And I'm like, shit, I've watched it wrong. So I will go ahead and up my score.
01:51:23
Speaker
Right up to that night. Wow. but I will take it. I love that you felt inspired by this. I love that. It does my heart good. It's it's so it's so good to hear other people talk about movies and horror movies at that. I love it because I love horror. No matter what the time. Yeah. Give it to me all. um I think I did a six. Yeah.
01:51:50
Speaker
Yeah. um i I like this movie. I think it's good. I like that it um inspired the 70s one because I love the 70s one.
01:52:03
Speaker
um it's I think it's a hard watch for certain people. You know what I mean? I think it's one of those movies or just because of the like those movies. and just It can be hard to watch sometimes. um But if you really like stick to it and watch it, it's it's really good. um And i there were times where I felt like I was about to like, you know, be like, I don't wanna play my little game. But I'm like, no, I'm gonna sit here and like really focus. When you really focus and like take notes on movies, you really notice a lot more too. So um i I still, I think I'd keep it as as a six because in comparison to two other movies and such, you know? Mm-hmm. Since VCR, I've never rewound a movie.
01:52:58
Speaker
Yeah. I've never rewound one until this movie. Really? Yeah. And I did it five times. Wow. That's so interesting. You've inspired me. So when I started the season, I would sit down with my iPad and I had like a Google doc for every movie and I would like fill it out as I went. And then after that, I'm like, huh?
01:53:24
Speaker
I'm just going to watch the movie and then see what I remember. You've inspired me to go back to taking notes. but I've got right here, I've got it at one point it says at 36 minutes and 15 seconds. My movie notebook. This is where I've taken notes on all the films we've watched. yeah It's just page of film.
01:53:48
Speaker
is flag second flag and old jack and kaufman are looking for her bodies leaving teddy and becky by themselves I'm calling it now that the psychiatrist and the cop are already invaded you You guys have inspired me to get back to my original note-taking. I did notice I got spoon breads throughout the film. I got spoon bread. Does anybody else remember the spoon bread? Spoon bread? Yeah, that was one of the one ah the meals that they were eating was spoon bread. It's technically corn bread, but soft and can be eaten with a spoon. Ah, no. Uncle Ira gave quite the look. Wilma was a smart one. I don't think she's crazy. Uncle Ira.
01:54:34
Speaker
called the doc boy. Interesting. so uncle so ira was So the lady that was sitting there with Becky on the swing, yep that was Wilma. Her uncle Ira was when she told Becky that she thought that her uncle was changed.
01:55:03
Speaker
They talk about spoon bread. Okay. I missed that. I wasn't paying attention to the food talk. Oh no. And I love food talk. That's like my big thing is food talk. and I totally missed that. She's like, yeah, my uncle's so different. By the way, have you tried that spoon bread? Get loaf in my mouth. my Oh my gosh. That's funny. What are you doing? Spoon bread, baby. You said it was kind of like cornbread?
01:55:33
Speaker
It is. It's a yeah it's technically like ah technically cornbread, but it's so soft. Instead of eating it with like a fork, you can eat it with a spoon. You just kind of get in there. grits? well No, not grits. In Indiana, we have something like it. We call it corn casserole. It's like cornbread, but there's like creamed corn in it, and it's very soft, and you eat it with a spoon, but it's bread. So I wonder if it's like corn casserole. It's actually very delicious.
01:56:02
Speaker
Maybe. Here's a picture of it. Yeah, we call that corn casserole. That's corn casserole. Oh, corn casserole. Here in Indiana, we call that corn casserole. Oh, they loved casseroles in the 50s. Oh, if you look at like old school publications from those times, you see some like the 50s and the 60s, some absurd looking recipes for shit. There's like the pillow. There's like weird shit and jello.
01:56:29
Speaker
There's a gelatin olives, hot dogs and fruit and tuna and weird shit together. God awful. Oh, there is this guy on Instagram. I'm going to try to find him so you can watch him. He is out of Chicago. ah He he has this whole.
Vintage Recipes & Culinary Experiments
01:56:50
Speaker
thing on his channel called vintage recipes gone bad. I think I might have seen him. He's hilarious. He's very, yeah he's very flamboyant, very like high energy. in him Yes. But he's a real skinny guy. No, no, no. Yeah. He is this dude like to him has like old school recipe books, like really old school books from like the depression, making recipes and shit. This guy has people like
01:57:28
Speaker
that Never seen him before. that's no It's I spy antiques. I spy antiques on Instagram, but but he has people who send him like their grandma's recipe cards and he will make some of them. I've only seen one where he was like, actually, this is very good. I'm going to eat some more. Most of them, he's like gagging and it's like putting tuna in gelatin and all that awful stuff.
01:57:54
Speaker
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Speaker
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Speaker
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Speaker
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01:59:28
Speaker
I want you to have the same easy experiences I do for all of my podcasting and content needs. It's time to share your story. So let's dive in to the next category.
01:59:42
Speaker
no no Our final scores will wrap up night 11 of this horror movie extravaganza. ah Final scores, anybody want to want to go first with your total?
01:59:54
Speaker
Yeah. All right, Evan. Yeah, it ends up first. no yes first on Guess first. Guess first. Okay. So yeah, I had that one adjustment. So that put me at a 36. Three and a half stars. Perfect. I matched you. I was three and a half stars too. Oh my goodness. donca Stop copies me. you were copies made Evan, after your major adjustment,
02:00:24
Speaker
Tim, you want to go ahead? Oh, okay. I was a 39 or four stars out of five. Damn it. Okay. Yeah, I was i was a 38, four stars. I was hoping that maybe Tim would be a little bit lower and be at the No. Three and a half, so that could be, I am king of castle. I'll let you take it. I'll let you take it. ah So together. It's great. It's great. I'm so glad. Yeah. That's wonderful. Together our average is 37. So that would be three and a half stars out of five. And that puts, let me see if I can find it here.
02:01:09
Speaker
That puts our social watchability. ah It's most likely it's um it's at the bottom end of great if you're showing it at a party. So you're at the bottom end. Most people are probably going to respond positively to this movie, especially if you're in a crowd that appreciates this kind of movie. Know your crowd for it. ah I've loved on this 13 Nights of Halloween, the originals versus remakes, because most of the time I've seen the remakes And going back to some of these 50s, if you look in the horror movie Pantheon, a lot of what we talk about in the 80s is inspired by what came from the 50s. There's a lot of good stuff at the roots in the 50s. So I've loved, we've had House of Wax from the 50s. We've had The Fly from the 50s. This is our third movie from the 50s. And the next one that we're doing, almost nobody
02:02:10
Speaker
knew when I was asking to put this together. Almost nobody knew that John Carpenter's The Thing is loosely a remake of another movie. So tomorrow we have The Thing from, I think it's The Thing from Another Planet. So yeah. so we got Wonderful. Wonderful. So super excited about that one. ah Any final thoughts?
02:02:39
Speaker
um If you watched all the movies like this, and all the other good ones, you'd be horror trivia champion too. Oh see, that's it. Evan wins all of the frickin' trivia's. Do not ever play trivia with Evan because you will lose. He's on the night club disorder. I just helped play it, I played it, I kidnapped it.
02:03:05
Speaker
I love it. I'd love any time to get a chance to watch old horror movies and somebody actually want to watch it. you know it's It's just something in it. you know It's a you know like watching shitty movies, in my opinion. um It's not that they're shitty movies, but horror has to take place from somewhere else.
02:03:28
Speaker
it isn't you know It isn't things that we think of every day anymore. It's all just remakes of this, remakes of that, remakes of this. So to see the classics again is so great because that's what, if you're a real horrid nerd, you love the classics because that's what got you in it. Yeah.
02:03:55
Speaker
I grew up on these black and whites. Of course, we say the classics to us nowadays was the 50s, 60s. But 30, 40 years from now, they'll say, oh, the classic? Oh, yeah, the 2007 movie with Natalie Portman or Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. Yeah, OK, whatever. Natalie Portman is going to get you. Natalie Portman is going to get you. Natalie Portman is going to get you.
02:04:25
Speaker
um they'll say that's the classic and it's like and then 30 years from there they'll say whoever zendaya is doing the zendaya fucking e invasion of the body smatchers is so great i can only hope know it's so good Could only hope. Margaret Kweli and the substance, it's classic. That's the future goal. Jay inside the mob versus the invasion of the body snutchers. Yeah, because i at that point, unfortunately, they won't be able to spell correctly. It'll be, what's that movie? Idiocracy. Oh God, I love that movie so much. It'll be Idiocracy and, hey, you stepped on me while I was farting.
02:05:10
Speaker
yeah You see Tucker and Dale. I'm biting, man. I'm biting over here. I'm biting. Leave me alone. I'm biting. It's so good. Crazy film. Love it. Absolutely. I was wrong. It's the thing from another world, not the thing from another planet. God, Tim, get it together. I know. I've actually, this is one that I've never seen. Tim, you perfectionist. I know. I'm just going to edit it out. You should have loved it where it was. I'm going to edit it out so it sounds like I'm smart.
02:05:41
Speaker
Yeah. Hey, if you ever decide to do They Live, let me know. Oh, I want it. I love One Inz on it. Me too. Okay. They Live. We had a request from the guy who composes our music for 13 Nights of Halloween. I don't think I can afford them next year. um but He requested that we do the Blues Brothers next year too. Ooh, that's interesting. Yeah, it was a classic movie. I would love to do that. I'd be down for that. yeah I'm all in on some Blues Brothers, bro. We just got to add up our season two list. Blues Brothers. ah They live. I don't know if that they live. We don't need to do that for Halloween. Ask him if not only does he want the Blues Brother, but does he want the big Lebowski to go with it? Oh, you follow it up with the big Lebowski. Yeah. I'm all about the dude. I feel like they're talking about it. It's like, that's my. like Actually,
02:06:39
Speaker
It's amazing. What can you say? I am a certified dutist priest. All right. That's awesome. It's like, it's like, uh, what is it? Uh, it's like Taoism, but based on the philosophy of the dude, I'm actually, reg I'm actually a certified minister for this shit. I can marry people because of this. That's great. yeah You just got to go in there and just say, all right, dude, you.
02:07:07
Speaker
and you I might marry my buddy and his fiance next year in Oklahoma with that shit. you know and that's all we'll see as ah That would be sweet. That would be sweet. All right. We'll wrap up the episode. We might hang out and talk a little bit longer, but that's for us and not for you. so if you're If you are following along, fill out those scorecards. I have multiple ways for us to do it now. So you can do the Google Drive link. I also did one of those Instagram. I don't know what they're called, but for 13 Nights of Halloween, I made the share yours that you see on Instagram.
02:07:45
Speaker
where you can fill out your score and share it to your story and then someone else can click on it. And I made one for each of the movies so you can share your scores that way too. So there are all kinds of ways to get out there. Just let us know what you thought of the movies, comments, however you want to do it. ah Thanks for hanging out with us. Thanks for joining us, Evan and Strawberry. It was great having you. Thank you. no You are welcome back to askinging us anytime.
02:08:14
Speaker
Thank you. I'll come back. I had a very good time. Awesome. So that's what I want to hear because it's all about having a good time. Jonathan, any final words?
02:09:15
Speaker
are
02:09:22
Speaker
are